BPL 3 Final, Preview: Comilla Victorians v Barisal Bulls, Bulls lock horns with Victorian for the trophy

The ambitious Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) season 3 has finally reached its conclusive stage- The Finals. The two deserving teams, Comilla Victorians and Barisal Bulls will clash with each other for the coveted title at the Sher-e-Bangla International Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. One team was quite dominating throughout the tournament while the other fought hard to reach this place. But, that doesn’t matter now as the stage is now set for the final showdown. This encounter is surely going to be an entertaining one as both sides have a lot of similarities when they take the field. Players from both the sides will have to be at their sublime best to clinch the trophy and emerge as the champions.

One team was quite dominating throughout the tournament while the other fought hard to reach this place. But, that doesn’t matter now as the stage is now set for the final showdown. This encounter is surely going to be an entertaining one as both sides have a lot of similarities when they take the field. Players from both the sides will have to be at their sublime best to clinch the trophy and emerge as the champions.

Comilla Victorians:

Comilla Victorians have come into the finals after topping points table in the league stages and dislodging Rangpur Riders in the qualifiers. The success of the Victorians is as a result of the collective effects of their players. Unlike Bulls, they don’t have any player on whom they can totally rely upon.

Imrul Kayes has been their top batsman and struck a half-century in the most recent match which Victorians played. The inconsistent Ahmed Shehzad will hope to make this final memorable for him. Ashar Zaidi along with Andre Russell will be the key players as they have proven the fact that they can turn the course of the match with the bat as well as the ball.

The bowlers have a huge task in their hands the Bulls batting line-up has some serious names and BB will need a specific plan to tackle them. Abu Hider, the highest wicket taker of this tournament, is the trump card. Shuvagata Hom and Nuwan Kulasekara will also carry the hopes. They must bear in their mind that under-estimating the Barisal Bulls on the big day can prove costly. The Victorians can outplay the Bulls only if they manage to keep their momentum up and play in the same fashion like they did in the tournament so far.

Barisal Bulls:

Barisal Bulls started the tournament with back to back wins and continued their great show throughout the league stages, losing just three out of the ten matches. It can be assumed that the Bulls have lesser things to worry in comparison to Victorians.

For the Bulls batting to outclass the Victorians skipper Riyad Mahmudullah should continue his good show whereas Sabbir Rahman and Evin Lewis have also been in wonderful touch. The middle order also doesn’t seem to have much problem as Mehedi Mahruf, Nadif Chowdhury, Seekuge Prasanna and Rony Talukdar are also reliable names.

Bowling wise, Kevon Cooper has been the bowler on whom the Bulls can rely as a sure shot wicket taking option. Coopers’ numbers are amazing and has razed Dhaka Dynamites and the Rangpur Riders in the knockout stages. He has taken 20 wickets in just 8 matches and will the key bowler from the team’s point of view.

Mohammed Sami and Al-Amin Hossain have also been very impressive. As far as the spin department is concerned, it won’t be a surprise if we see Canadian off-spinner Nikhil Dutta whose reputation is soaring. It was a smart move to conserve him and bring him in the latter stages of the game. He can surely spring a surprise. Taijul Islam can also have an impact. On paper, Bulls hold an edge over Victorians by a tiny margin.

Probable XI:

Comilla Victorians:

Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wk), Ahmed Shehzad, Shuvagata Hom, Shoaib Malik, Ashar Zaidi, Alok Kapali, Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Nuwan Kulasekara, Mahmudul Hasan, Abu Hider

Barisal Bulls:

Rony Talukdar,  Mehedi Maruf, Sabbir Rahman, Shahriar Nafees, Mahmudullah (C), Seekkuge Prasanna, Rayad Emrit, Kevon Cooper, Mohammad Sami, Al-Amin Hossain, Taijul Islam